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Don Norman Behrens, 63, of Kansas City, Mo., and formerly of Storm Lake, passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. He was in his home with his wife, Terry, and one of his favorite nuns, Sister Fabiola, from the Servants of Mary Convent which is in Kansas City, Kan. Don had been courageously battling Cortical Basil Ganglionic Degeneration for the past eight years.
Funeral services will take place Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 10:30 a.m. at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. Burial will be in Buena Vista Memorial Park Cemetery in Storm Lake. Visitation will take place Monday, Oct. 3, from 5-7 p.m. at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake.
Don was born on Dec. 18, 1958 to Ronald and Mae (Elfe) Behrens at the Lutheran Hospital in Fort Dodge.
He grew up on the Behrens family farm just south of Palmer. Don was baptized Jan. 9, 1959 and confirmed in 1974 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Palmer.
Don graduated from Palmer High School in 1977 where he was a proud member of a very successful boys basketball team. They had an excellent winning streak of 100+ games.
After graduation he worked for Becker Manufacturing in Alta, where he was able to enjoy and build on his love of woodworking; a skill he eventually was able to share with family and friends in the Storm Lake area. When Beckers closed, he joined the “Stanton Crew” in Storm Lake where he worked as an electrician for 36+ years. His failing heath forced him to retire.
After the death of his first wife Kim in 2001, he married Terry Ohden (Tillman) in 2003. He was a loving and caring stepfather to Ryan and Troy Ohden.
Don and Terry built a home on the Raccoon River near Storm Lake where they transformed an old 20-acre piece of land into a beautiful acreage with thousands of trees, plants, flowers and bushes. His love of nature was very apparent. Don’s woodworking skills resurfaced as they built a new home and he did all the finish work.
In 2020, Don and Terry moved to Kansas City, Mo. to be closer to the boys and their families. His granddaughters, Olivia and Ava, were his pride and joy.
Don was preceded in death by his first wife, Kim Behrens; parents Ronald and Mae (Elfe) Behrens; in-laws Al and Evie (Waldo) Tillman; grandparents: Herman and Rose Behrens; Gust and Minnie Elfe; and stepgrandson Gabriel Ohden.
He is survived by his wife, Terry Behrens of Kansas City, Mo.; brother Jim (Kathy) Behrens of Lehigh; sister Jan (Kevin) Peterson of Ogden; nephew Chris (Kristin) Behrens and family of Gowrie; stepsons: Troy (special friend Yoyo) Ohden of St. Louis, Mo.; Ryan (Melissa) Ohden and granddaughters Olivia and Ava, all of Kansas City, Mo. extended family and many friends.
